Tugger's Trouble
by xWiCkEdxGhOsTx
Summary: A young stray cat stumbles into the junkyard during the Jellicle ball and its love at first sight for the Rum Tum Tugger. But what happens when this flirting king can't catch her eye?
1. The Rum Tum Tugger is in love

A/N: there are a couple conditions for this story 1- you have to be a Tugger fan and 2- you have to believe that he can actually fall in love with someone other than Bombalurina. I am personally proud of this story because it is loosely based on my own love life. Which brings me to my dedication.

I dedicate this story to Zak, for without him, the real Isabel would have never fallen in love... I'll love you forever, babe. No matter what life throws at us.

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_The night of the Jellicle Ball was always a joyful event. At the moment where our story begins, the flirtatious Rum Tum Tugger was being introduced…_

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"The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat!" sang out the voices of the Jellicle cats; mainly the females, "For he will do as he do do." The girls stared at the Tugger expectantly.

"And there's no doing anything about it!" Tugger winked in the direction of the kittens, who fainted at his acknowledgement. Tugger smiled in approval of their reaction.

He looked for more females to flirt with when he caught sight of one of his brothers, Munkustrap, with his mate, Demeter. They were sitting close, their daughter, Jemima, was staring intently at the Tugger with the other kittens right under them.

Feelings unknown to Tugger overwhelmed him. Sadness, longing, and self-pity. He himself never had a true mate. It seemed all the cats in the tribe had someone but him. He felt someone brush against his side and looked to see Bombalurina. She had a seductive grin on her face. Tugger pushed his feelings away and danced with Bombalurina.

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_While the Tugger struggled with his emotions, another cat was looking for something as well…_

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"Get out of here, you filthy cat!" an angry restaurant owner yelled.

A black and gold colored she-cat ran out of the way before the man threw a bucket of dirty water on her.

"Fine!" She meowed back, not caring that the man couldn't understand her, "I didn't want any lobster anyway! I was checking to see if it was fresh!"

The man shook his head and slammed the door shut.

"Jeez, you'd think the guy'd never heard of 'taste testing'." The black cat fumed as she walked into an alley next to the neighborhood junkyard. She sat down and started to clean the gold striped fur on her back. She heard a noise coming from the junkyard, but ignored it and stared to clean the gold-brown tip of her black tail. Soon, she swore she heard cats talking. She jumped up on a car in the yard and peered over the top. She saw tons of cats surrounding one large black tom with gold-brown spots and stripes like herself. The real difference between them was that this cat had an impressive lion-like mane.

"Who are you?" A voice behind her asked.

She jumped and whirled around to see a black cat with a white face and chest standing before her.

"Who are you?" she spat back; this cat deserved it for scaring her.

"It's okay. I'm sorry I frightened you. I'm Mr. Mistoffelees. And I ask once more, who are you?"

"I'm…" she walked backwards and slid off the car into the clearing of cats.

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The Rum Tum Tugger was showing off for the kittens when a cat, the same colors as himself, fell at his feet. The kittens scattered and hid behind their parents. All the cats were on their feet, ready to drive out the intruder.

The Tugger just looked down at the cat. He didn't move until the cat at his feet started to get up. He quickly helped her and was instantly amazed by her ice blue eyes.

"Thanks." She said, brushing off her coat, not even looking at the lion-maned cat who was staring at her, his amber eyes filled with emotion. After a moment of silence, Munkustrap stepped forward and looked suspiciously at the newcomer.

"Who are you and why are you here?" he asked forcibly.

"Well, someone here likes to get to the point." The black she-cat said with sarcasm. Tugger smiled at her. She was beautiful and could be sarcastic with one of the most respected cats in the tribe. This was his kind of girl.

"Well, do you have an answer because if not, we have a ball to get back to," Munkustrap said, annoyed with the strangers attitude.

"Fine, fine keep your fur on," she flicked her tail over Munkustrap's nose, who batted it away and looked at her expectantly. "I'm Isabelandra, but I prefer Isabel if you don't mind. And I'm a stray who needs a place to stay before animal patrol carts me off to the pound." Tugger lit up at er dilemma. "Hey Munk, she can stay here right?"

Munkustrap looked sternly at his younger brother. "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.

"Sure," Tugger said to Munkustrap, then turned to Isabel, "Excuse us for a second." He said as he winked and gave her one of his winning smiles. All Isabel did was dip her head and stepped back. This annoyed Tugger. Why didn't she blush of faint like everyone else?

Tugger walked over to where Munkustrap was waiting for him. He had an angry look on his face. "What?" Tugger asked.

"Why did you offer to let her stay here?" he asked, the angry look not letting up.

"She has nowhere else to go, Munk, what are we gonna do, just throw her out on the street?" Tugger said, holing his ground.

"That's exactly what I intend to do!" Munkustrap exclaimed, a little too loudly. Cats looked over at them but he motioned for them to ignore Tugger and himself.

"I know her kind, and it's not a good kind. She's sarcastic, rude, and can't be trusted." He said in a quieter voice.

"You mean like me," Tugger backed away a few steps and stared at his brother. How could he say that!

Munkustrap was shocked by Tugger's sudden outburst, "No Tugger, not like you. She's nothing like you. Your better then that." He assured.

Tugger was officially insulted. Him and Isabel were the same, right down to their coat colors. He could tell by the look in her eyes and from the way she walked and talked. Did Munkustrap not notice this or just refused to? Why wasn't he giving Isabel a chance?

"Munk, what are you talking about! Her and I are exactly alike. She can be trusted more then anyone! Look at her," Tugger looked over at Isabel. Some cats were greeting her politely and asking questions of their own, while she kept the kittens entertained by moving her tail like a mouse. Once Victoria caught it, Isabel rolled over and laughed. In Tugger's ears, her laugh sounded like a chorus of angels singing.

Munkustrap saw a strange look in his brother's eyes. Love? "Hey, Tugger, are you in love with her?" he asked more carefully, not knowing if his temper would go off again.

Tugger quickly looked at his brother. "Me? In love? Never gonna happen," he said and turned to look at the ground.

Munkustrap saw Tugger's slight look of hurt and his heart softened. He never knew that his flirtatious younger brother would develop a soft spot for a particular cat. (Even if she was a little too sarcastic for his taste.) It showed the famous Rum Tum Tugger in a different light. "She can stay," he said softly.

"What?" Tugger perked up immediately.

"You heard," Munkustrap smiled at his brothers reaction.

Tugger was smiling ear to ear and Munkustrap remembered his duty as Guardian and he spoke sternly, "She can stay in the junkyard, but if I catch one whiff of trouble, she's out of here."

Tugger ignored his brother and ran to Isabel to tell her the news.

"After careful consideration, I've decided to let you stay here." Tugger announced to Isabel. Munkustrap rolled his eyes and walked away before his brother started his string of pick-up lines.

"That was generous of you. Are you Munkustrap? I heard he was the one in charge here," Isabel made Tugger blush in embarrassment.

"No, Munkustrap's not in charge," Tugger said, hoping to get the subject off him for once, "Old Deuteronomy is." Tugger gestured to the large leader sitting atop the large tire.

"Well, if you're not Munkustrap, then who are you?" Isabel asked.

"Me? I'm his younger brother, The Rum Tum Tugger," Tugger said with pride.

"Well, The Rum Tum Tugger, do you have a nickname or does everyone here just call you The Rum Tum Tugger." Isabel asked jokingly.

Tugger blushed again. How is it that such a simple question from a complete stranger make his heart skip a beat.

"Umm… people just call me Tugger," he said a little embarrassed.

"I see," Isabel dipped her head, "Well, thank you for allowing me to stay here. I'll go find a place to sleep if you don't mind." She turned and started to walk away.

"No!" Tugger called after her.

Isabel stopped in her tracks and turned to face the Tugger. "What?" she said, obviously annoyed.

"Umm… we were just about to make the Jellicle Choice. You should stay." Tugger tried to convince the stubborn she-cat.

Isabel looked like she was considering it, but then said back, "I'm tired. I almost got hit by two cars, mauled by a man with a cleaver, and dodged a bucket of dirty water today. So now _I'm_ making the Jellicle choice of which pile of trash to sleep in." She turned and walked away and this time, Tugger didn't stop her. She jumped gracefully into an old blue convertible and settled herself under the dashboard.

Tugger felt ashamed that while Isabel was forced to sleep in a broken-down car in a filthy junkyard, he had a nice warm bed next to a heater back at home.

As Munkustrap called Tugger over to congratulate Grizabella on being chosen, all Tugger could think about was Isabel. Was she warm? Hungry? Thirsty? Lonely? Would she feel better if someone stayed in the junkyard as she slept? All these questions went through his head as the Jellicle cats ushered Grizabella up to the Heavyside Layer.

Once the ceremony was over, Tugger's younger brother, Mr. Mistoffelees, ran up to him.

"Hello, brother," he said, "Are you ready to go home?"

Tugger looked from Mistoffelees, to the car where Isabel slept, and back again.

"You go on, Misto," he decided, "I'm gonna stay here tonight."

Mistoffelees bowed his head, "As you wish." He said before running off in the direction of their home.

As Tugger was looking for a suitable sleeping place, he past Munkustrap, Demeter, and Jemima. Munkustrap gave Tugger a look and Tugger rolled his eyes.

"Remember what I said," Munkustrap warned before he walked off with his family to their own home.

"What does he know," Tugger mumbled to himself l the cats left the junkyard, "she'll get to know me and fall in love with me like all the other females."

He found himself a rusty red Mustang right across from Isabel's sleeping place and curled up to sleep.


	2. Munkustrap's Misgivings

A/N: this orignally had more to it but I split it into two different chapters. I know, this ones short but it'll get longer, don't worry. Prpos to Kaitlin who came up with the chapter name!

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Over the next few days, Tugger continued to sleep in the junkyard. Mistoffelees and Munkustrap were worried. They noticed a change in their brother. He ignored Bombalurina and hid from the kittens. He spent hours at a time staring at the entrance of the junkyard, waiting for Isabel to return when she went out with some of her new Jellicle friends. 

He stared at her and smiled and waved, but he never talked to her. He stayed a distance away and admired her from afar.

One day, Mistoffelees went to talk to his older brother about his behavior lately.

"Hello brother," Mistoffelees said nonchalantly as he walked up to Tugger, who was lying on the hood of the Mustang.

"Hey Misto," Tugger said, "what's up? I haven't seen you since the Ball."

"Well I've seen you," Mistoffelees sat down and looked at Tugger with worry-filled eyes, "and Munkustrap and I are concerned."

Tugger groaned, "Munk didn't send you to check up on me, did he?"

Mistoffelees flinched and lowered his head so he wouldn't have to see his brothers reaction, "Well…"

Tugger turned his angry face in Munkustrap's direction; "I'll be right back, Misto."

He jumped off the hood of the car and stalked over to where Munkustrap was sunning himself. Tugger stood in front of the sun and snorted loudly so that his brother looked up.

"What?" Munkustrap asked in a bored voice with his eyes still closed.

"I can't believe you did that!" Tugger growled.

"What?" Munkustrap said defensively. He sat up and attempted to stare down his brother.

"You sent Misto to check up on me, that's what! You knew I'd tell him if something was wrong." It was true. Tugger had always had a connection with his younger brother that he never had with Munkustrap.

Munkustrap didn't say anything for awhile. He really was guilty of using his youngest brother to get information but he desperately needed to know what was happening to Tugger. He knew Tugger would never tell him anything, even if he wanted to help. He also knew that the source of Tugger new behavior was Isabel, so he made a mental note to confront her about the issue.

"I'm sorry Tugger. It won't happen again." He said finally.

"You shouldn't have done it the first time!" Tugger spat and walked back to Mistoffelees. Tugger whispered something to him and then jumped on the hood of the car and laid down to watch Isabel and Rumpleteazer, (who had become close friends) talk about the male cats in the tribe. Mistoffelees looked from Tugger, to Isabel, then to Munkustrap, sighed and walked off to find Tumblebrutus and the rest of his friends.


	3. Isabelandra

A/N: wow, that took a long time! I'm really sorry it took about 4 months. It promise to add more before Thanksgiving. Read and Review!

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_As Tugger let off his steam by blaming Munkustrap for being overprotective, Isabel was adjusting to life in the Jellicle Junkyard._

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"So how do you like it here?" Rumpleteazer asked Isabel.

"Well, anything is better then nothing, I guess," She answered.

"Hey, it's not that bad here. I thought you'd enjoy the current living arrangements." Rumpleteazer smiled slyly.

Isabel was instantly confused. "What?" she asked.

Rumpleteazer rolled her eyes, "Well, considering who sleeps here every night since you've been here."

"What? Who?" Isabel asked, getting more confused by the second.

"Tugger!" Rumpleteazer was amazed by her friend's stupidity.

"He's here everyday?" Isabel asked, "I haven't even talked to him since the Ball."

"You haven't?" Rumpleteazer was surprised: Tugger seemed to be quite fond of Isabel (more so then all the other females). It was surprising that he hadn't made a move on the new cat while she didn't know anything about his reputation. "That's unusual…"

"Why is that so strange," Isabel asked, "he's probably just shy. I _did_ just come in off the streets."

Rumpleteazer chuckled, "Tugger? Shy? You're describing the wrong cat, hun. The Tugger is the ultimate ladies man; all the girls are after him."

"Even you?" Isabel asked suggestively.

"No! Not me!" Rumpleteazer looked appalled, "I've got my eye on someone else."

"Mungojerrie?" Isabel looked over at the tiger-striped cat playing with the kittens.

"He's my brother!" Rumpleteazer exclaimed, "I like Tumblebrutus."

Before Isabel could respond, Munkustrap walked up to them.

"Isabel," he asked, "could I talk to you for a moment?"

Isabel shrugged and jumped off the hood of the car.

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Tugger sat up and stared. Why was Munkustrap talking to Isabel? Did it involve him? If Munkustrap was interfering again… Tugger snarled in annoyance. He strained to hear what his brother was saying but it was impossible. Isabel was staring intently at something just over Munkustrap's right shoulder, but as the Guardian spoke, she nodded in all the right places. Tugger had no idea what she was looking at, but he knew that she was trying to tune out his brother. Although Tugger was annoyed at Munkustrap for talking to Isabel, he was amused at Isabel's attitude. He could tell she didn't think much of him. Tugger could only pray that she didn't feel the same way about him.

After a minute or two, Isabel's tail tip started to flick in annoyance. Munkustrap noticed this and bowed his head in respect and walked away. Isabel darted off in the direction she had been looking and disappeared behind a pile of garbage.

Tugger jumped off the hood of the car he had been sunning himself on and sauntered over to his older brother.

"What was that about?" Tugger asked, a little too quickly.

"I asked her a few questions. I _am_ the Guardian you know. I need to know some things about her to make sure the rest of the tribe is safe with her here." Munkustrap started to lick himself clean, in preparation for a catnap.

"What did you find out?" Tugger pressed on. He wanted to know as much as he could about Isabel before he hit on her.

"Well, she's about Misto's age, her mother's name was Rajalina and her father's name was Ciaran. Her father was hit by a car when she was a kit and her mother was taken by the pound and sent to a sailing company to rid the ships of mice. She was living on the streets for almost a year and a half when she found a home. She was forced to leave when the people who took her in had a child. Is that enough information for you?"

Tugger took in all of Munkustrap's words and played them over and over in his head. Without saying anything to his brother, he walked back over to his sleeping place and fell asleep to dreams of the wonderful and mysterious Isabelandra.


End file.
